A Glimpse into the Future: Sugamo’s AI-Powered Mascot Charms Hundreds
The historic Sugamo Ohtori Shrine Shopping Street recently hosted a highly successful event, showcasing its evolving mascot, ‘Momomo-chan,’ now enhanced with advanced AI and Augmented Reality (AR) capabilities. Despite unstable weather, the event attracted over 900 visitors, including many families and local residents, eager to experience the new interactive features.
Momomo-chan’s Interactive Evolution
The event highlighted the significant advancements of Momomo-chan, allowing attendees to engage in direct conversations with the AI-powered character. This innovative approach aims to make the shopping street more accessible and enjoyable, particularly for younger generations. The AR-enabled devices, now more user-friendly, invite visitors to discover the charm of the local stores through fun interactions with Momomo-chan.
Celebrating Creativity: The Momomo-chan Design Contest
A highlight of the event was the Momomo-chan Design Contest awards ceremony, which saw over 200 entries from local children. The special stage buzzed with excitement as five honorable mentions, three excellence awards, and one grand prize winner were announced. Recipients were presented with certificates, dining tickets for use at the venue, and original trophies. A local parent shared, “The children’s excitement was palpable, seeing their designs come to life and interacting with Momomo-chan truly brings the street to life for a new generation.”
The grand prize-winning design was professionally illustrated by Sanekomaharu-sensei, a popular manga artist serialized by KADOKAWA Comics. This special illustration will be featured on the AR-enabled devices installed in the stores for a limited time, further enhancing Momomo-chan’s appeal through the creativity of the community’s children. Other excellent designs were also showcased:
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Grand Prize Winner: Go-ku-san
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Excellence Award Winner: EMA-san
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Excellence Award Winner: Kaya-san
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Excellence Award Winner: Ran-san
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Honorable Mentions: Sayano-san, Sayun-san, Ema-san, Ano-san
Beyond the Contest: A Festival of Fun
The event offered a variety of other engaging activities, including a
